Have you been wanting to learn to knit or crochet but don’t know where to start? We’ll cover which is easier and what the differences are between them. Then you’ll get a quick overview to get started with both knitting and crocheting!

I know why you are here. You most likely just started knitting in the round on circular or double pointed needles and the pattern you are using states "join yarn" and begin knitting in the round. The reason you will be joining the knitting is so that you can knit in one continuous, seamless loop.

Joining your knitting is REALLY easy. I'm going to show you how it's done.

One of the many aspects of lace, (besides its beauty) is an aura of complexity and difficulty. Most knitters believe that lace shouldn't be attempted until you are an intermediate knitter or expert. That's just not so. Lace projects can be involved and intricate, but those intimidating projects are just a small portion of what can be done. The majority of stitches and projects are easy to understand and achieve. Better still some really beautiful lace stitch patterns are easy to remember too, ensuring a very satisfying knit and beautiful end result.

With this Ultimate Guide to Baby Blankets, you'll be able to choose the right size blanket, what yarn to use, and how many stitches to cast on. That's it! Just 3 easy steps, no matter what yarn you choose!

Love to line up those knitted project pieces and join a perfect seam? Probably not, but how about if it was easier? Well, here's a simple little notion that I like to use that makes it much easier to create a great seam that lines up stitch for stitch every time.

Hi, it's Nancy Queen from NobleKnits and I'm here to talk to you about the long tail cast on. This is a nice sturdy cast on and it's a little bit easier to knit than the loop cast on. It's kind of a "next level" knitting technique.

What the big part is in the beginning, is that you want to start with a longer tail. You are going to be using the tail and the end of the yarn that is attached to the ball to do your cast on.

So we'll be using a pair of needles. I have a set of size 8 needles and a ball of worsted weight yarn. So let's say you are knitting a project that is going to be about 6 inches wide. Well, as a rule of thumb, you'll need a tail that is about 3 times the length of that. So if your project is 6 inches wide, you'll need approximately an 18 inch tail before you make your slip knot.

Start with your slip knot, then have the long tail. Keep the long tail in front and you are actually going to put it on the needle, then tighten it up. And it's going to go onto the side of the needle that you traditionally are going to be knitting onto. So if you are going to knit, you'll be knitting from left to right. So you'll cast on to the right needle where the knitting would end up.

We want to get our tail in the front. This is our tail, right here. So with the tail in the front, you are going to catch the tail in your thumb and wrap it around your thumb. With the other end of yarn, you are going to wrap it around your finger and you are going to kind of hold them, like that. Now, you'll use your right hand index finger to stabilize that stitch that's on the needle.

Now what you are going to do, is that you have a loop that you've made here, and a loop that you've made over here. So you are going to go under the thumb loop, over the finger loop, and then draw through both and tighten.

Again...I'll take my time on this. So you've got both strands held here. This is the tail. Now you are going to lean back and you are going to go up through the thumb, over the finger, then back in.

So if you think of this as a little rabbit...you come out of the hole, jump over the fence, and go back into the hole, and you tighten. I'll do that again. Come out of the hole, jump over the fence, go back in the hole.

It's a really nice, smooth method once you get the hang of it. You just want to make sure you have a nice grip on these two tails but that they are not too tight. So we'll go come out of the hole, jump over the fence, then back in the hole...and then you put your thumb back in there to tighten.

As you can see, here's the stitches we've cast on. This is the starting slip knot and then we have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 stitches cast on...so we have 6 stitches total. You will count that slip knot.

So that's 6 stitches and if that's what you needed to cast on, you are now ready to knit. You just want to make sure that you don't start knitting with that long tail. If it's a little too long, trim it to about 6 inches so it doesn't get in the way. And, now you're ready to start your knitting. Thanks so much for watching! Please like, comment, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

This handy knitting guide shows you different types of row counters and how they are used.

Hi! It's Nancy Queen from NobleKnits and I'm going to talk to you today about row counters. Now, row counters are a handy tool to have because they just keep track of your rows, so you don't have to keep that information in your head. Have you ever gone back to a knitting project and not known what row you are on? It takes weeks, if not months, to figure it out (and a lot of frustration)!

Let's take a look here at a project. This one has a four row repeat. So if you set down your knitting, sometimes it's hard to tell (or remember) what row you are on. Well, with this little counter, you'll be able to tell.

There are three types of row counters here. This round row counter is a little more traditional. It has a hole which allows it to slip on to the end of your needle. You'll slide it down to the end and the knitting goes here. When you get to the end of the row, you'll just turn the wheel to the next number. You'll do that every time you finish a row. When knitting, you'll only have it on one needle and you'll need to make sure you turn the wheel after every row.

The next row counter we have is the Mini Kacha-Kacha Counter. This is a very popular item. It has a clicker on the top and a little hole on the other end so you can thread it with some ribbon or yarn. You can wear it as a necklace while you are knitting. When you finish a row, you will click it. It resets very easily. The counter goes up to 99 and when you are done, you'll just set it back to zero. Then it's ready for your next project. That's the Mini Kacha-Kacha Counter.

This is the Clover Kacha-Kacha Counter, it's the original. On this one, you just click the top. Again, this one goes to 99 and has a very satisfying click sound. The only issue I've found is that you have to make sure family members don't come along and make a few clicks when you are away from your knitting. When I put down my knitting, I write down what row I'm on. So if they've clicked, it won't throw off my knitting. With this counter, after I finish a row, I click.